Trump's lawyers turn over written documents about Comey and Flynn to Mueller after raging against the Russia probe

President Donald Trump's lawyers have reportedly
provided the special counsel Robert Mueller with written
documents about key events Mueller is scrutinizing.

The move is said to be part of an effort to help Trump
avoid answering questions about critical moments, like the
firing of FBI director James Comey and national security
adviser Michael Flynn.

The documents outline the White House's view of the
incidences, as well as others who were involved, but they do
not include Trump's personal version of events.

It's unlikely Mueller will agree to forego interviewing
Trump about those events in exchange for the written
materials.

President Donald Trump's lawyers have given the special counsel
Robert Mueller written materials about key events Mueller is
scrutinizing as part of his investigation into Russia's
interference in the 2016 election, The Washington Post reported Monday.

The move comes as Mueller has been pushing for a face-to-face
interview with the president, who is a subject of scrutiny in
several threads of the Russia investigation. Trump's lawyers have
been working for months to sidestep or significantly limit the
scope of an interview between Mueller and their client, who has a
tendency to make exaggerated and misleading claims.

The news also comes after The New York Times reported last
weekend that Mueller recently sent over a list of
questions to Trump's team. The questions are not intended to
take the place of an interview, according to the report, but will
rather serve as a starting point from which Mueller can ask
follow-ups in person.

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According to The Post, Mueller's investigators have asked two
primary questions about Trump: "What did he do?" and "What was he
thinking when he did it?"

Trump is the focal point of the special counsel's
obstruction-of-justice case, which stems from Trump's decision to
fire FBI director James Comey last May.

Although the White House initially said Comey was fired because
of his handling of the Hillary Clinton email investigation, Trump
later told NBC's Lester Holt that "this Russia thing" was a
factor in his decision. He also reportedly told two top Russian
government officials that firing Comey had taken "great pressure"
off of him.

Comey's ouster came after Trump repeatedly pressed him for his
loyalty and asked him to drop the bureau's investigation into
former national security adviser Michael Flynn, according to
Comey's testimony before the Senate Intelligence Committee last
year.

Flynn pleaded guilty in December to one count of making false
statements to investigators about his communications with then
Russian ambassador Sergei Kislyak. Trump tweeted the day after
Flynn pleaded guilty that he had been forced to fire Flynn in
February 2017 because he "lied to the FBI."

Legal analysts said at the time that if Trump knew Flynn had
misled the FBI when he fired him - as the tweet indicated - and
still asked Comey to drop the investigation into him, it would
significantly bolster the obstruction case against him.

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James Comey

source

Jonathan Ernst/Reuters

'The only person who can testify authoritatively to Donald
Trump's motives is Donald Trump'

The written materials Trump's lawyers have provided reportedly
include summaries of internal White House memos and
correspondences about events Mueller is looking into, like
Comey's and Flynn's firing. The documents are also said to detail
the involvement of others in the White House in coming to those
decisions, as well as Trump's actions.

Notably, the documents do not outline Trump's personal views of
the events that took place. Rather, The Post reported, they
represent the White House's version of events, and Trump's
lawyers are hoping that helps them avoid having Trump answer
questions from Mueller about key moments that are under
investigation.

In order to prove obstruction, prosecutors must establish
"corrupt intent," and it's therefore unlikely that Mueller will
forego asking Trump questions in person about events, like
Comey's firing, that are critical to proving his case.

"The only person who can testify authoritatively to Donald
Trump's motives is Donald Trump," said Jens David Ohlin, a vice
dean at Cornell Law School and an expert on criminal law.

Former federal prosecutor Patrick Cotter echoed that point,
saying Trump was "clearly the only person on earth who knows what
the prosecutor wants to know."

"Only Trump can testify as to what he knew, when he knew
it, and what his intentions were when he did the things he did,"
Cotter said. "So, even using the Trump lawyers' dubious standard,
Trump should agree to the interview."

John Dowd, Trump's personal defense lawyer and the main point of
contact between the president and the special counsel, told The
Post the team has "very constructive, productive communications"
with Mueller.

"We're blessed to have them," Dowd added. "I think it's helpful
to them and of course I think it's very helpful to us."

Dowd's statements to The Post mark a significant departure from
his calls last weekend for the Russia investigation be shut down.

"I pray that Acting Attorney General Rosenstein will follow
the brilliant and courageous example of the FBI Office of
Professional Responsibility and Attorney General Jeff Sessions
and bring an end to alleged Russia Collusion investigation
manufactured by McCabe's boss James Comey based upon a fraudulent
and corrupt Dossier," Dowd said in a text message to The
Daily Beast.

He initially said he was making the statement in his capacity as
Trump's attorney, but later walked that back and said he was
acting in his own capacity and not on Trump's behalf.

Hours later, Trump blasted out a tweet which echoed Dowd's
statement about the "fraudulent" Trump-Russia dossier.

"The Mueller probe should never have been started in that there
was no collusion and there was no crime," he
tweeted. "It was based on
fraudulent activities and a Fake Dossier paid for by Crooked
Hillary and the DNC, and improperly used in FISA COURT for
surveillance of my campaign. WITCH HUNT!"

"Why does the Mueller team have 13 hardened Democrats, some
big Crooked Hillary supporters, and Zero Republicans?" he later
tacked on. "Another Dem recently added...does anyone think this
is fair? And yet, there is NO COLLUSION!"

Trump has reportedly told advisers he is "chomping at the bit" to
sit down for an interview. How beneficial that would be for his
case remains to be seen.